Life’s events can weaken pelvic muscles. Pregnancy, childbirth, and being overweight can do it. Luckily, when these muscles get weak, you can help make them strong again.

Pelvic floor muscles are just like other muscles. Exercise can make them stronger. Women with bladder control problems can regain control through pelvic muscle exercises, also called Kegel exercises.The pelvic muscles work to control the release of urine.

Pelvic Fitness in Minutes a Day

Exercising your pelvic floor muscles for just 5 minutes, three times a day can make a big difference to your bladder control. Exercise strengthens muscles that hold the bladder and many other organs in place.

The part of your body including your hip bones is the pelvic area. At the bottom of the pelvis, several layers of muscle stretch between your legs. The muscles attach to the front, back, and sides of the pelvis bone.

Two pelvic muscles do most of the work. The biggest one stretches like a hammock. The other is shaped like a triangle. These muscles prevent leaking of urine and stool.

You can make these pelvic floor muscles stronger with a few minutes of exercise every day.
How do you exercise your pelvic muscles?
Find the right muscles. This is very important. Your doctor, nurse, or physical therapist will help make sure you are doing the exercises the right way.

You should tighten the two major muscles that stretch across your pelvic floor. They are the “hammock” muscle and the “triangle” muscle. Here are three methods to check for the correct muscles.

Try to stop the flow of urine when you are sitting on the toilet. If you can do it, you are using the right muscles.

Imagine that you are trying to stop passing gas. Squeeze the muscles you would use. If you sense a “pulling” feeling, those are the right muscles for pelvic exercises.

Lie down and put your finger inside your vagina. Squeeze as if you were trying to stop urine from coming out. If you feel tightness on your finger, you are squeezing the right pelvic muscle.

Don’t squeeze other muscles at the same time. Be careful not to tighten your stomach, legs, or other muscles. Squeezing the wrong muscles can put more pressure on your bladder control muscles. Just squeeze the pelvic muscle. Don’t hold your breath.

Repeat, but don’t overdo it. At first, find a quiet spot to practice?your bathroom or bedroom?so you can concentrate. Lie on the floor. Pull in the pelvic muscles and hold for a count of 3. Then relax for a count of 3. Work up to 10 to 15 repeats each time you exercise.

Healthy sphincter muscles can keep the urethra closed.
Do your pelvic exercises at least three times a day. Every day, use three positions: lying down, sitting, and standing. You can exercise while lying on the floor, sitting at a desk, or standing in the kitchen. Using all three positions makes the muscles strongest.

Be patient. Don’t give up. It’s just 5 minutes, three times a day. You may not feel your bladder control improve until after 3 to 6 weeks. Still, most women do notice an improvement after a few weeks.

Exercise aids. You can also exercise by using special weights or biofeedback. Ask your health care team about these exercise aids.

Hold the Squeeze ’til After the Sneeze
You can protect your pelvic muscles from more damage by bracing yourself.

Think ahead, just before sneezing, lifting, or jumping. Sudden pressure from such actions can hurt those pelvic muscles. Squeeze your pelvic muscles tightly and hold on until after you sneeze, lift, or jump.

After you train yourself to tighten the pelvic muscles for these moments, you will have fewer accidents.

Let’s Talk about Bladder Control for Women is a public health awareness campaign conducted by the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC), an information dissemination service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health.

The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1987, the Clearinghouse provides information about diseases of the kidneys and urologic system to people with kidney and urologic disorders and to their families, health care professionals, and the public. The NKUDIC answers inquiries, develops and distributes publications, and works closely with professional and patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate resources about kidney and urologic diseases.

Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and outside experts.

This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse encourages users of this publication to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired.

Kegelmaster Instructions

Make sure you lubricate the vaginal area with a water soluble natural lubricant and lubricate the Kegelmaster at the tip. Place the Kegelmaster between your thighs, insert the unit into your vaginal opening until it is firmly in place. You will notice this when the Kegelmaster feels much smaller and locks into place.

Grasp your Kegelmaster firmly, you are now ready for your initial adjustment!! This is done by turning the knob at the top of the Kegelmaster counterclockwise - until the knob is no longer touching the top of the Kegelmaster and until you feel a slight pressure. This should not be uncomfortable.

NOTE: If the knob is at the top of the Kegelmaster and you don't feel any pressure from the Kegelmaster putting resistance against the vaginal muscles, then you will have to add another spring. If you have the right tension, squeeze down against the Kegelmaster. If you are easily able to clamp down with your vaginal muscles completely for thirty reps (closings), remove the unit from your vagina and change the position of the spring, moving forward one pin (see Power Spring Combinations). If you are still able to easily close down all the way, for thirty reps - after insertion, then you must move the single spring back to the rear pin (1) and add a spring to the next forward pin (2), then repeat the process.

Power Spring Combinations:

1,2,3,4, 1*2, 1*3, 1*4, 2*4, 3*4, 1*2*3, 1*2*4, 1*3*4, 2*3*4, 1*2*3*4

The ideal spring tension is determined by one's ability to close the Kegelmaster at the beginning of the exercise and become unable to close it completely at the end of 30 reps. This is not hard to do and it is a lot of fun to see how many of the springs you can squeeze for 30 reps, having difficulty with the last five. The exercise sequence starts with 3 sets of 30 reps daily. With each rep you attempt complete closure of the Kegelmaster, pausing in between each set of 30 reps for 3-5 seconds. It is recommended to work up to 6 sets of 30 reps a minimum of 3 times a week. An individual may do more sets, but it is not advisable to exceed 30 reps. A final fatigue of the muscle until the last rep is performed with very little vaginal movement is your goal. When you are finished, close the device before removing! Gently close the device, tighten the knob and slowly remove the Kegelmaster.

Ideally, use the kegel exerciser twice a day, morning and evening. For women with prolapse, it is recommended to use the Kegelmaster in the morning to start with.

For prolapse or any other medical condition, please consult your doctor before purchasing the Kegelmaster.

The Kegelmaster is cleared and deemed effective by the FDA as a medical device for incontinence.

We in no way intend to diagnose, treat or make any medical claims about the Kegelmaster.

Cleaning the Kegelmaster is simple. Use an anti-bacterial cleaner after each use. Open device, remove springs, and use a small brush to reach all areas of the Kegelmaster. Dry and store for the next use.